On Lobbyism, Special Interest Groups -- and Washington

The goal of Washington -- and Ottawa -- should not be to eliminate lobbyist and special interest groups altogether but rather to make them more democratically and dialectically visible, transparent -- and accountable for the potential and/or actual 'democratic side-effects' of their special interest requests and/or demands.

I am a philosopher by day and a taxi/mobility dispatcher by night. (Not too long ago, it was the other way around.) So as a taxi and a wheel-chair mobility dispatcher, I know a thing or two about 'lobbyism' and 'special interest groups'. Within the context of my industry, I know how they work. The 'taxi democrats' are on the taxi radio working the radio for their taxi calls, their business. In contrast, the 'taxi lobbyists' work the back rooms, the dispatch office, and the manager's office, looking for 'lobbyst handouts'. In the terminology of the business, they want to be 'fed'. If the 'ethics' in the dispatch and/or manager's office is really bad, then this 'lobbyist process' can go one step further. The dispatcher and/or the manager can get -- or demand (subtly or bluntly) -- a 'kickback' of a part of the proceeds of what the driver is being fed.

Gee, that almost sounds like Blagojevich putting up the Illinois Senator's job 'for sale' to the highest bidder. Lobbyism is not only rampant in Washington and Ottawa. It is likely rampant in any political and/or private corporate office where someone of questionable ethics believes that there is something significant to be gained by 'lobbying'. Indeed, the roots of lobbying can even be seen in kids 'lobbying' this or that parent -- obviously the parent with the least amount of (ethical) or any other form of resistance.

The issue is this: The number of people in Ottawa or Washington may involve hundreds, or indeed even, thousands of different people and/or groups of 'special interest' people all working towards their particular goal of gaining more political-legal power, corporate power, organizational power, and/or simply money. If there are government 'handouts' to be had, you will definitely find lobbyists lobbying this or that politician looking to get one of the available handouts. You might even find these lobbyists contributing significant amounts of money to this political party or that political party or this charitable organization or that charitable organization. Or a certain politician might get some 'free work done' on their Alaska house. At its crudest worst, there might be a 'briefcase of money' exchanged in a very private, covert, meeting place. No cheque, please. Cheques leave a paper trail. Just cash, please. Just cash. Are you listening Mr. Mulroney? Or here's a new idea. How about trying this: Bankrupt your bank or automobile business. (Maybe you ate up too much of the business profits.) Then start throwing your employees out of work. Hundreds of them. Better still, thousands of them. If you are a banker start closing down people's Retirement Investments, Savings, and Bank Accounts. Then watch Washington panic, throw billions and billions of 'new money' at you -- enough for you to gobble up even more profits, a huge surprise surplus for an even better spa vacation, another jet, another house (How many did you say you had, Senator McCain? Hey, but you are not interested in more houses even if they are earned the right way; you and Sarah Palin are interested in 'Joe The Plumber'), more and more lavish spending, a better and better retirement package worth millions and millions of more dollars, while Main Street America is losing more and more billions and billions of dollars. What an astronomical windfall! And now all of a sudden, The Republicans are interested in cutting spending. (When the spending doesn't involve them.)

Is this fair to the rest of the American people?

Is this fair to the democratic process?

Of course not.

Lobbyism must become a dialectically and democratically transparent, negotiated, integrated, and balanced process.

For every vocal, rhetorical, demanding, wheedling, whining, and/or money-giving political lobbyist special interest minority group, there is a hugely important 'silent majority' -- or a 'silent, invisible, Anti-Thesis Lobbyist-Special Interest Group' that needs to be democratically heard from too.

Lobbyism has to be pried out of the backrooms of Washington and Ottawa. There can be no money exchanging hands. That is so blatantly obvious that it barely needs to be said. But it does need to be said. Political charity funds need to be watched over.
So too, obviously, do Political Party Funds. These for far too long, have involved lobbyists 'buying America'.

'The squeeky wheel gets the oil.' (So too does the wheel with the most money and/or power of leverage.)

Conflict of interest issues need to be watched over with a microscope.

Do 'ethical watch dog groups' ever do any good'?

Or do they simply turn a blind eye to whatever their narcissistic political partners are doing -- or not doing?

Is Obama going to make a difference on the issue of lobbying in Washington?

Or are these 'bankruptcy-prone' banks and bankers going to keep getting more and more money while the better, more ethical, and financially solvent banks and bankers -- continue to get nothing? Why not reward the better banks and bankers and let them become bigger and better still -- rather than keep rewarding these inefficient, dyfunctional, money out the back door, banks and bankers that/who keep gobbling up more and more American taxpayer money -- are not accountable for it -- and then keep coming back for more. Or better still, give the 'stimulus' money back to Main Street America rather than to Corporate Wall Street America -- where the money keeps getting used, used up, and 'lost', and then back come the Corporate Lobbysts to Washington again. The biggest irony of this whole situation is that these 'Corporate Lobbysts' consist of the some of the wealthiest, most powerful men in America who when they are not lobbying, are extolling and trumpeting the virtues of 'Government-Unregulated-Adam Smith-Free Trade-Capitalism' and calling 'Socialism' 'The Scourge and The Enemy of America'.

That is -- when it is not in their own 'self-interest'.

President Obama...

Over to you.

-- dgb, February 10th, 2009

-- David Gordon Bain

-- Democracy Goes Beyond Narcissism

-- Dialectic Gap-Bridging Negotiations...

-- Are Still In Process...